As Malvary (Canadian) suggested, I am sending the correspondence from Jane (below my Conservation memo) to my contact at Fashion Museum Bath. This reflects an opinion that they should know about.
Here is what I have to contribute about being able to *SEE* the Lace in Fashion exhibit: Where have all my lace conservation messages of the past 20+ years gone? Does everyone skip over them? Please let me know. On January 17th, I announced the Lace in Fashion exhibit on Arachne in a letter to an Australian planning a trip to the U.K. It got no comments, so I sent it a second time. More often than I'd like to remember, I've suggested that Arachne members going to big lace events and exhibits should take a flashlight (American name) or torch (British name) that fits in a purse or pocket. I carry a 4 inch long one at all times, and it is used in dark places quite often. I thank this little beam of light in museums, like the Victoria and Albert. Many objects are exhibited in a dim setting. Suddenly, something that you never would imagine shines through - jewels, beads, sequins, textures, even lovely colors and design details in fashions. But also, intricately-carved woods, and metals and glass with cut and etched designs. Museum guards have never stopped me. I shine light on the objects briefly, sometimes gathering others in a gallery around me so they can share the experience. With security what it has become in recent years, there is the chance you will have to leave a very large purse in a secure place at the museum's entrance. I dress like a professional - in a suit with pockets for necessary items I'll need in a museum, like a torch. It would be nice if someone in the UK would interview museum personnel - at several museums - to learn what is allowed and then write an article about this for The Lace Guild's quarterly bulletin. Textiles, in particular, suffer greatly from continuous exposure to light, and the lace exhibit at the Fashion Museum Bath will be up for 12 months. Most of you have been reading my conservation advice for years and know they are being sensible to the extreme. Another small treasure to carry would be a small magnifier. If you do not have one with a light, hold the magnifier in one hand and the flash light/torch in the other when looking at displays in cases that you peer down into. Like all conservation-related advice - rehearse at home - in a room that is not well illuminated. May I suggest you make this a subject for discussion at your lace group meetings? Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center -------------------------------------------------------- April 12, 2017 Letter from Jane in Hampshire, UK Just back from Bath, a 70 mile, 2 hour journey each way, so rather tired. But I donât remember seeing any comment here on the âLace in Fashionâ exhibition, although I know lacemakers have been to see it. .. it was a bit of a let down. The exhibition was fairly small, about 30-40 dresses, and it focused mainly on machine made lace, and on recent (1950's onwards) and current fashions. .. The first display unit contained a lace pillow with a lovely piece of Beds made recently by Dawson, I canât remember the first name but I wondered if it was a relative of Miss Dawson. There were some lovely old gloves embellished with embroidery and metallic lace, but I couldnât make out the lace. I had the same problem with the manâs tunic. It was decorated with blackwork and trimmed with a very narrow border of lace, an early work of 1620-1650 (Iâm not very good at dates so this could be quite wrong). The parchment lace tissue dress was also on display. It seemed to me that handmade lace was presented as an incredibly expensive fabric and that it was very quickly replaced by machine made lace. The next display unit moved on to Jacquard, Leavers and Raschel, etc, machine made lace gowns. There was nothing about the collars, berthas, flounces, caps and so on that were fashionable for decades. (Just one cap with lappets on display). There was a hand made Irish crochet dress, a dress decorated with Blonde, and a more recent outfit included a Bucks Point collar which I could hardy make out, but nothing that really represented the hey-day of lace in fashion. About half the exhibition was made up of recent designers, such as Hartnett, Amies, Lagerfield and so on, but none of these used hand made lace. There was a sparkly evening gown worn by the Queen Mother and a sculptured mini-dress from the recent James Bond Spectre film. There was a beautiful dress, believed to have been worn by Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, empire style, diaphanous fine white lace over a silk under gown and with a short train. Unfortunately it was almost impossible to see the lace because of the dim lighting. And this was a problem throughout the exhibition. Time and again, I couldn't see the lace. Also, I was looking forward to seeing the parchment lace dress, but it was too dim for me to work out how it was made and no explanation was given. .. The exhibition reflected the collection that the Museum holds, rather than representing the changing trends of lace in fashion over the centuries. I imagine it would be interesting to students of modern fashion, but I think there are better places to go for those interested in hand made lace and costume. .. Interested to hear other opinions, others might have a very different impression. Jane In Hampshire, UK - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
